Wood's electronic monitoring bill clears committee

Rep. Justin Wood's bill on electronic monitoring of inmates requiring them to make arrangements to pay fines and restitution has made it through the House Public Safety Committee.

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A bill that would require inmates being monitored electronically to make arrangements to pay fines and restitution easily has cleared the House Public Safety Committee.

House Bill 1766, by state Rep. Justin Wood, would require an inmate assigned to the Electronic Monitoring Program to report within 30 days of being placed into the community to the court clerk and the district attorney of the county where the judgment and sentence resulting in incarceration arose to address the payment of any fines, costs, restitution and/or assessments owed by the inmate.

“Currently an inmate released into the community as part of the GPS monitoring program is not required to pay restitution to those he or she owes,” said Rep. Wood, R-Shawnee. “This legislation will allow those who are owed restitution a chance to be paid for services rendered.”

HB 1766 passed the committee on a bipartisan 12-0 vote. It now proceeds to the House Calendar Committee, which will determine if the measure will be heard by the full body of the Oklahoma House of Representatives.